1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a heat-dissipating device for the cooling of electronic components in a housing of an electronic device, more particularly to a heat-dissipating device which includes a fan and an air guiding tube for effectively discharging the heat that is generated by the electronic components to an exterior of the housing of the electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heat-dissipating devices for the cooling of electronic components in a computer are known in the art. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional heat-dissipating device 1 for the cooling of a central processing unit (CPU) inside a housing of a computer. The heat-dissipating device includes a base 11 made of a heat-conducting material, and a fan 12 mounted on the base 11. The base 11 is disposed in contact with the CPU such that the heat generated during the operation of the CPU can be transmitted directly to the base 11. The fan 12 draws cooling air from an interior of the computer housing toward the base 11 such that the heat is carried by the cooling air, thereby cooling the base 11 and reducing the temperature of the CPU. However, after the cooling air carries the heat, the resulting hot air cannot be effectively discharged out of the computer housing. Therefore, the temperature within the computer housing will increase after the computer is operated for a period of time. At this time, the temperature of the cooling air drawn by the fan 12 is correspondingly increased. Thus, the cooling effect achieved using the conventional heat-dissipating device 1 of FIG. 1 is unsatisfactory, and the temperature of the CPU cannot be kept within a range that ensures stable operation thereof.
In order to solve the aforementioned problem, another kind of heat-dissipating device has been developed. This kind of heat-dissipating device includes a fin plate mounted on the CPU, a fan mounted on the fin plate, and an air guiding tube for guiding cooling air from an exterior of the computer housing toward the fan and the fin plate. The cooling air thus carries the heat generated during operation of the CPU, and the temperature of the CPU is lowered. Although this kind of heat-dissipating device ensures that the temperature of the cooling air can be kept at a generally constant low temperature, the resulting hot air is not discharged out of the computer housing immediately. As such, the electronic components of the computer are still exposed to the hot air.